Ready to Deliver Today, Part 2: New Methods For the App Update

With the recent update to the Amazon Flex Delivery App, I spent most of the day making sure I understood exactly how it was going to impact the method of picking up blocks. I saw a few more blocks than usual come available today, so things are certainly off to a good start. Maybe the update caught a few drivers off guard and they are taking longer to adjust? Either way, the method hasn’t changed very much. It is still all about the refresh.

I tried three methods today that I will share. Two worked very well. One…not so much. Remember, there are other factors that come into play that will affect each of us differently. These factors include phone models, internet connection, timing and luck. So definitely work through these and figure out which works best for you.

The Swipe

As noted by Mike in the comments section of the previous post, the new Offers screen has a “swipe down” feature for a simple refresh. Make sure you are seeing the little refresh circle! To use this method all you have to do is keep swiping your finger until you see the available shift show up. The screens look like this:

Some people said they had luck today with this method, but for some reason it did not work for me. I’m not quite sure if my screen was refreshing, even though the spinning circle showed up. Maybe it has something to do with my phone model? I spent a lot of time swiping my screen and didn’t see one available shift appear. That’s not to say I won’t try this method again. It is definitely the simplest of the three, but for now, it’s on the back burner.

The Method, Part Two

Since The Swipe wasn’t producing for me, I went back to a manual approach. Although more time consuming and tedious, I saw a lot of available blocks by moving through the following progression, starting on the Offers screen: Menu, Home, Check For Available Blocks. Then repeat. Again. And again. In pictures it looks like this:

Start Here

You would continue the progression above until you see a block appear on the offer screen. You know it’s coming if you get to the third screen and the words below the Flex symbol are missing.

Pinning, Part Two

The third method I used today was “pinning.” This gave me my greatest success. If you aren’t familiar with the term you can read about it here. For this method you keep refreshing the pinned home screen using whatever button your phone requires. The screen you pin and continue to refresh is the home screen. It will look like the first screen below. Once you see the second screen it means there are offers available and you would immediately push the Check For Available Blocks.

Whatever method you use, don’t forget that you still need to finish out the progression. And just like before, you need to do this quickly! If the time and date works for you, you still need to complete the process by pressing the offer and then pressing Accept. The screens look like this:

There are a few other findings from today I would like to mention:

I did not see any next day blocks come across. That’s not to say they weren’t there, I just didn’t see them.

I saw a lot of blocks during the same time frames in which I normally focus. I wrote about these windows a few months ago here.

I saw some 3 hour blocks that I had not come across very often with the previous app. Maybe there were system limitations before? Definitely pay attention to the block date, start/stop times and duration.

For now that’s all I’ve come up with. I hope the above is at least a starting point to see which method works best for you with the new update. As always, please share any of your findings here as well. I would definitely like to thank all the people that gave such great advice in the comments of the last post. Hopefully as we can all continue to help each other out.

*We’ll see what happens tomorrow with the shifts going out for next week. It will be interesting to see how the update affects scheduled blocks. I will do my best to post what I find.

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205 thoughts on “Ready to Deliver Today, Part 2: New Methods For the App Update”

Columbus, OH has been slow. I am a part timer so I can not afford to swipe 24/7 or hang out at the warehouse. Have found Postmates to be much less frustrating and much more reliable. $15 an hour in the hand is worth $25 an hour in the bush!

After taking what seemed like forever, my background check was approved last Thursday and I’ve been trying to get some blocks ever since — checking several times each day — with no luck whatsoever.

After reading a lot of these posts I’m wondering if there’s something wrong with the way my app is installed.

The ONLY thing I ever see after login is a screen asking “Where do you want to deliver?” … with an area directly under that one (on the same screen) that says “Sorry, there aren’t any delivery openings in your area at the moment” — but I’m invited to “check back in the next day or two” for openings.

This is the one and only screen I’ve ever seen.

No menus of any kind — and also NO HOME SCREEN or anything to let me know I really am logged in and being recognized.

Should I not at least be seeing a Home screen?

I’m an iPhone user and bought an Android 30 days ago, which I can return to Target as long as I do it TONIGHT. Otherwise I’m stuck with a phone I might never use.

If you don’t have any scheduled blocks, the only way to pick up blocks is to use one of these methods in this post. It is time consuming, but that is why I’ve always considered picking up the shift the actual “job.” You can also check out some older posts concerning the best times that I’ve found to look for shifts. With this new update I’ve found them to still be relevant. Check out this post, here.

That’s my point — it does not look at all like that — and nothing I do gets any kind of response from it.

There’s a broad black bar at the top where I see “Delivery Area” followed by “Where do you want to deliver?”

The other three-quarters of screen space is a big white area where I see, “Sorry, there aren’t any delivery openings in your area at the moment. Check back in the next day or two to see if any openings become available.”

Nothing happens no matter where I touch the screen. In other words, I cannot specify where I want to deliver or get ANY RESPONSE AT ALL from the app.

I agree then that the app is not functioning properly. Have you tried to delete and reload? Also, did you check the the download on your iPhone? You can go to this site using that phone to see if it will load. Go through the process like you are signing up and it will realize you have an account and give the link.

Could some one who have had this issue resolved answer how to get around this please. I’m also having the same issue – ”Sorry, there aren’t any delivery openings in your area at the moment. Check back in the next day or two to see if any openings become available.”

When I click on “My city is not here” I’m taken to a page that says ‘Sorry, delivery opportunities aren’t available in your area” and invites me to provide contact info so they can let me know “when opportunities become available”.

If THAT is the reason why the app does not seem to work, why did they accept my application information four weeks ago and do the background checking??

I’ve had the impression of Amazon being a “together” company. That impression is taking a real beating right now!

Have deliveries begun in your city? Sometimes the company gets ahead of themselves and onboards drivers prior to opening a warehouse. It has happened in places like Brooklyn among others. There have been drivers that were able to download the app and thought they would get immediate shifts, but the site was not yet ready. In one instance it took about a month before the new warehouse was opened and blocks were offered.

1) There are three “Amazon Locker” locations near Pittsburgh — east, north, and south. They are not particularly convenient to the city but are “in the area”. Each one would be about an hour’s drive from downtown.

2) Regarding a personal order last week — it arrived via a young lady in a completely unmarked Grand Cherokee. Is it safe to presume she was Amazon Flex?

(Ok, I lied — three things)
3) A friend of mine started looking into Amazon Flex in Pittsburgh back in JULY. He never followed thru with them (or vice-versa) but they were accepting application info as far back as that.

I LOG IN ALL THE TIME AND BLOCKS ARE NEVER AVAILABLE. I AM BEGINNING TO THINK THAT THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE APPLICATION. WHEN SENDING AN INQUIRY, I ONLY GET A STANDARD RESPONSE WHICH IS NOT VERY ENCOURAGING. AMAZON-FLEX SHOULD HAVE A LOCATION THAT DRIVERS CAN GO TO OR CALL TO GET HELP

Thanks for the reply. With the new update you take what you can get and what I got was an 8-12 block. What I’m asking is now that I have this block will I still be eligible to see a 7-11 block if it were available, take it, and forfeit the time I have now.

Just a heads up for San Antonio drivers. I’ve noticed that blocks have been released 24 hours in advance. So far I’ve only noticed them being released at 830 and 9. The other day I was also able to pick up a random shift for 130. I’ve been refreshing by tapping on the lower part of the offers screen and it’s worked well for me. Hope this helps someone. Also, has anyone heard if they’re paying more to work on Thanksgiving?

Anyone posting in these forums about when to pick up blocks, tips, etc might as well light their money on fire and watch it burn. Its one thing to make friends in “the yard” and to share tips, its another to post on this site for literally tens of thousands of people to see. Theres a reason were called independent contractors, were competing against each other for the same $$$, so why share your tips with thousands of people youve never met??? ANyways, thats my two cents

Sanantonioflex : Yes you are right and wrong. Yes, as independent contractors, we are competing against each other for work. Therefore, there’s a risk of disclosing to much information, i.e. you’re helping the competition. However, with Amazon, it really doesn’t matter. I have stated before on this forum, Amazon ranks drivers ( and all others workers, for that fact) based on productivity. The fastest and successful deliveries (not attempts) drivers always get access to the block/offers FIRST. That’s why so many drivers come on this and other forums and complain. If it takes you 3+ hour to complete a block but someone else (like myself) under 1 1/2 hours, you are wasting your time trying to be the fastest to select offers when it pops up on the app. At my location there are so many drivers that take forever to complete a block. On one occasion there was a driver who left the warehouse 5 mins ahead of me and I still passed him up on the road. Mind you this is one of the busy roads in the city with multiply lights. AMAZON RANKS DRIVERS

The best thing to do is be dependable, honest, efficient, and check for blocks early in the morning like 7 am or 5 or 6 if you are up. I do not believe Amazon ranks its drivers on speed, different drivers get different routes, different locations, amount of packages etc. the best block i have ever had was like 20 packages in a 4 hour block and finished it like an hour or so, i like to keep delivering until im done but sometimes i take time out to go to the gas station or McDonalds if i am hungry etc. One Good thing is that i usually finish all my blocks in 4 hours or less, so Amazon is a good company they dont really pile alot on you and some cars can carry less packages then others so they might finish sooner, i drive a Toyota Prius so i can fit more packages then most cars that do not have foldable seats and use their trunk, but for that reason Amazon does not pile work on me. During the election there was very little business and they were hiring and i believe they were using mostly new people to have them trained for the holidays.
Take with a grain of salt most of what you hear on here there is alot of false information and confusion going on. I am not the fastest driver and i get blocks when i want them for the most part but it was slow for a week that i had off.

Thank you for commenting. It’s always good to hear both sides. I have my own reasons for posting and although there are some differences now vs. back then, I still stand by what I wrote in this post a few months ago:The cool thing I have found about this job is that although it is competitive to get shifts, for the most part the drivers understand that it essentially comes down to luck and persistence, so there are no hard feelings or worries that some are being treated better than others. This breeds a camaraderie between drivers that makes you root for each other and congratulate one another on huge weekly paydays!
I wish you the best of luck.

Again for any Baltimore drivers: from my 10:30-2:30, they updated another block earlier in my shift. Around 11:30-11:45.i was already scheduled so I couldn’t get it. Also a 2nd shift was available around 4:30-4:45. Couldn’t accept that cause I was already at my part time. But from what I noticed today, I haven’t received ANY notifications about blocks until I accept the first 10:30 block earlier this day. Maybe this will help someone else out. If I get another shift, I will update again.

Thanks for the tip! I used to be able to pick up a bunch of shifts, but since the update have only been able to pick up a few. I was hoping black friday and cyber monday were busy, but only was able to get a random 3 hour shift today.

Sanantonio flex- I mean I agree, but just because I share it, who’s to say that others will still remember or even get an available block themselves. I could still beat half the people. Before the whole update I was literally making the $504 weekly (before taxes or course) I always had a shift. But like I said, I do understand you. We just tryna look out for others but watch ourselves first.

so I just signed up and was approved in Columbus, OH area last week. I wasn’t offered any blocks at last Friday, (I’m not really needing work from this, I just wanted to pick up extra cash from time to time), and I periodically refresh the app throughout the day. For the first time tonight, three 1-2 hour blocks popped up for 8:30pm-9:30/10:30 at 8:21 pm. Is it normal for blocks to show up that close to the start? I can’t even make it to the warehouse then to the delivery area within an hour. I might be totally out of the block waiting game if that is the case.

Yes, you will see blocks like that often. On occasion the warehouse will wait until the last minute to put out blocks in an effort to make sure they aren’t over staffed. The hope is that there are drivers nearby who will take the shift. Most of the time there will be. I have seen a few times though where they waited too long and had to send warehouse workers out. Looking for blocks about 20 minutes before they begin works well with late shifts. Of course, like you said, you need to be in the vicinity. As far as your goal of picking up extra cash, I think you’ll find that the amount of pay for number of hours worked is pretty good. It will take some effort though. Remember, this job is about getting the blocks. Delivering is the easy part. Hope you get dialed in soon.

Just updating from last month. I finally received my first reserved offers for this week, so I worked my first block today. I was offered a little over 30 hours this week. Both for prime now and restaurant. Surprised. I come across loads of offers throughout the week, but with the same theme: less than ten minutes to the shift. Our market’s prime now warehouse won’t let people just hang out and wait for blocks–they have to have a scheduled block to be on the property. I assume because the order processing room is tiny. I will be trying out a hot wheels shift next. One of the other prime now flexers said he only had one order for his whole restaurant shift. I am interested to see how it goes.

Frankie, thanks for the update. Nice to see the 30 hours offered. As far as the blocks releasing with less than ten minutes to arrive at the warehouse, is there a safe area nearby that you can sit and wait for those? It may be a great strategy if you are so inclined. I wrote about positioning yourself in this post here if you haven’t read it. Keep up the great work.

I just returned from my first block and everything went well except I was having trouble differentiating Attended vs Unattended deliveries through the app. None of my Prime Now deliveries specified Attended or Unattended, they just said “Delivery”. I did have one Restaurant delivery, and that one did specify “Delivery – Recipient must be present”. Is this the indicator that it is an Attended delivery, and the other ones can be assumed Unattended? I did call support on one Prime Now delivery because the recipient didn’t answer the door, and the rep did tell me the delivery was an Unattended one and that the package should be left at the door.

Has anyone else noticed the updated app being unclear about Attended vs. Unattended, or is there another area of the app that I need to be looking?

Hello there! You seem so helpful (much more than the “help” section in the app), and I was hoping you could give me some insight, please.

I have been approved to deliver, and have actually seen a block or two come up that I wasn’t available for, but not for at least 2 weeks! I have never received the supposed Friday e-mail with blocks tailored for my availability either.

Should I be concerned that I have the app installed wrong? I am in Tampa, FL and can’t really seem to find any info for this area. Thank you SO much for any help you can provide!

Hi Angela. The blocks that come out on Fridays are for the work week going from Sunday to Saturday. It is not an email. You set your availability calendar and if you have any offers for the times you listed, they will show up sometime Friday afternoon on the offers screen. So today, the schedule for Sunday the 4th through Saturday the 10th came out. If the grey dots disappear and you have no blocks listed then you were not selected for a scheduled block. If you have an offer and you confirm it you will then see an orange dot on that calendar day. If you are like many, you won’t see many scheduled shifts, so you will need to keep refreshing the offers screen to pick up same-day or next-day blocks. I hope this helps.

I received assigned blocks, usually 2 blocks per week for the first 4 weeks then nothing for about 3 weeks. I think it’s so new drivers can get things figured out then you get tossed in the deep end with everybody else. I’ve been able to fish for blocks ok but its about persistence.

Today I saw a 2hr block pop up with a rate of 54-68 as opposed to the normal 36-50. Not complaining about increase in pay, just curious to find out if you know anything about that? I drive in San Diego. Thanks

No, I haven’t seen any notes on upcoming days with extra pay. Usually it’s only a couple of dollars per hour, so those rates look great! It would be nice if we could all pick up a few of those. Thanks for sharing.

Yeah it’s pretty exciting to know that if this is our official rate in San Diego, then us flexers out here will be making a really great wage, especially with tips. The 36-50 per 2hr block with tips was good, but this is great

I have not seen the 54-68 rate pop up since I saw it that first time. I was at the main warehouse in San Diego and no one knew anything about it. Might’ve been some promotion. On Jan 1 I received an email that a 42-56 rate would come up at the 4pm-6pm block. Other then that it’s been the normal 36-50 for each 2 hour block.

I’ve been trying to download the app for IOS with the link that amazon flex gave me through email but it keeps saying “cannot connect to app-distribution-usamazon.blahblah”
I’ve already contacted them about this but haven’t gotten a reply back yet. Any recommendations of what I could try?

I saw a previous post with the same problem I am currently having. I have reached out to amazonflex-support@amazon.com but the replies appear to be automated responses triggered by keywords in the email since I received same exact response multiple times. Looking forward to getting started but a little frustrated since I haven’t confirmed if the issue I am having is due to my phone settings, bad app install, or something on amazon’s end. I have tried reinstalling the app (ver. 3.0.5381.0) and restarting phone. Here is the issue:

After login, I only see a screen asking “Where do you want to deliver?” … with an area directly under that one (on the same screen) that says “Sorry, there aren’t any delivery openings in your area at the moment. Check back in the next day or two.”? I cannot see a drop down box or any menus to select delivery area. I cannot swipe the screen or do anything once I get to this point.

Amazon support has replied a couple times with this same response even though I explained I can’t see drop downs, etc. — “To view available service areas, please tap the drop down arrow in the blank box. This will expand the view to show available service areas for your region. If a location shows as unavailable it may be due to an overwhelming interest in the Amazon Flex program. Feel free to select another available area, or check the app later to see if the location has become available. We are not able to confirm when any particular location will become available again, but we will reach out with more information if it does.”

I just don’t understand how the app knows there are no deliveries in my area when I can’t select a delivery area here in Houston.

Any suggestions would be helpful. I’m using Android version 7 on Samsung phone with 4GB RAM.

Following. I’m having the same problem. It pretty much stays frozen on the “Sorry no Delivery Blocks” screen until I am logged out due to inactivity. There is no way to refresh or go to a home screen or log yourself out or anything.

Recently started amazonFlex and with the new all there now is a refresh button at the bottom of the screen. Besides “pinning”, is there no mechanism that auto refreshes a certain screen … that would then take the form of receiving a notification since the Offers screen would auto refresh every 30 or 60 seconds?